Experience and Rice
by Lalage
Summary: Kevin didn't feel guilty for caring more about Gwen's safety than Tiny's well-being. Spoilers for "Birds of a Feather" and "Unearthed."


**Experience and Rice**

Kevin Levin did not feel guilty for caring more about Gwen's safety than the well-being of Tiny; he'd been around aliens too long and around girls too little. He knew Ben meant for his joke to be, well, a joke, but Kevin's response was genuine:

"_What girls?"_

When he was in the Null Void, any females he might've encountered were too like himself to be even in the least bit appealing- fighting for survival, plotting ways to get ahead. When he got back to Earth, girls took a back seat once more to his new, ahem, _business_. Then along came Tennyson and Tennyson. Truth be told, Kevin originally said those things to Gwen because he was trying to figure out a way to get ahead, just like always. She seemed so gullible and so damn caring that Kevin decided to tell her the things she probably wanted to hear. In the back of his mind, he was figuring out ways to lure her into his life and get back at Tennyson for all the things he'd done to Kevin. Kevin did realize, of course, that it was really his own actions that caused his trapping in the Null Void, but still. The appearance of his old rival brought every feeling and every thought he'd managed to get over in those five years back to the surface like a bubbling cauldron. But irony's a bitch and Gwen Tennyson didn't seem to be affected in the least by his (admittedly very crappy) attempts to gain her favor. Instead she focused on the bigger picture, the greater good, _always_. Ben was the same way, but while he was more focused on the glory, on it being his duty, his responsibility to help others, Gwen did it because she wanted to. She was never given any recognition for what she did, but she continued to do it just the same. By the time Gwen did seem to start caring about his comments, Kevin knew two things: first, that she could kick his butt if he tried anything. It'd be a hell of a fight, but in the end, he would probably let her win. Second, girls were confusing.

Gwen Tennyson, in all of her red-headed, part-Anodite, controlling glory was Kevin Levin's first real experience with girls.

Gwen was also the only person he was ever scared for.

Tiny was taking a nap in the corner of Kevin's garage. Gwen walked toward him and Ben and, with a cross between a groan and a sigh, sat between them on the freezing floor.

"Please, please, please let her stay asleep for a while," Gwen said, looking upwards for a moment.

"I second that," Ben said tiredly before standing up, "I'm running to Mr. Smoothie. You guys want anything?"

"They're still open?" Kevin asked.

"24 Hours!" Ben said cheerfully before, very carefully, walking towards the door and leaving silently. Through the window in the door, Kevin saw Jet Ray fly into the sky.

After a moment of silence, Gwen stood up. Kevin kept his eyes focused on the sleeping alien. God only knew when the thing would wake up and demand to be played with again. It had tried to touch his car but Gwen was able to distract it with some spare tires. If it tried to touch his baby again, he would kick it out and that was that. Gwen could just go with it if she cared that much about the thing.

"Kevin, I need you to get some ice, please."

Kevin looked up. 'Why' had been on the tip of his tongue, but when his eyes reached Gwen's body, he realized it would just be a waste of breath of ask. Gwen had removed her school sweater and unbuttoned the bottom half of her blouse- the skin that should've been soft and white was instead swollen and various shades of purple, blue and green.

"Christ, Gwen," he said, his eyes still focused on her exposed stomach.

"It's not that bad," Gwen said flippantly, "I was checking earlier and I didn't feel or sense any internal bleeding or anything."

Kevin stood up and stared at Gwen's face for a moment. She stared right back at him with an almost unconcerned expression on her face, "Ice," Kevin said softly, his head spinning so quickly, he thought he was going to have to sit back down, "Right. Anything else?"

Gwen took what was probably supposed to be a deep breath that was cut short, "If you have any hot pads or Icy Hot or something like that, that'd be great."

"Hot pads don't help with bruises," he blurted, his mind still not working all the way.

"The ice is for the bruises," Gwen said, once more in that flippant voice of hers, "I have a cracked rib or two and the hot pad will help alleviate some of that ache."

Kevin didn't remember nodding or walking to his cooler or putting a bag of rice in the microwave. All he could think of was the night he and Gwen had danced outside his car. Man, he'd spent so much time freaking out over that stupid dance and trying to learn proper manners and in the end it didn't even matter. Gwen didn't care about how uneducated he was; they'd still danced and she was _so small_. She didn't look it because of how tall she was, but… Kevin knew he could break Gwen's arm or leg or anything if he tried; he wouldn't even have to have absorbed anything. He was strong enough on his own that all it would take was a hard squeeze and a tight flick.

God. Even now, he couldn't help all of those morbidly sadistic thoughts from going through his head. But if he could do that, then Tiny…

The microwave dinged and Kevin almost ran back to Gwen, a hot bag of rice in one hand and a cold bag of peas in the other.

"Thanks, Kevin," she was still using that flippant tone of voice! "I really appreciate it." She tried out to take the items from Kevin but he jerked them out of her reach at the last second.

"It leaves now."

Gwen took another one of those deep-breaths-cut-short, "Kevin, be reasonable. She-"

"No!" he yelled, not caring if he woke up the monster, "No, _you_ be reasonable, Gwen! Jesus, look at yourself! It could've killed you without even trying! It thinks you're a toy and wouldn't even know if it was hurting you!"

"_She_," Gwen correctly testily, snatching the rice and peas out of Kevin's hands with her powers. Without using her hands, she pressed the rice to her left side and spread the peas all around her middle, shivering momentarily, "And I told you, it's not that bad. Besides, you make it sound like I'm the only one she hurt- I noticed you're limping a little and Ben had a few bruises himself."

"Yeah, but we're-"

"You're _what_? Oh, please," Gwen sat down on the ground again, "Don't tell me this is some kind of alpha male mentality. Like because you two are guys that automatically makes you stronger than me?"

That _was_ what Kevin was thinking, but he quickly changed tactics, "No, the two of us have been fighting longer than you have and so _that_ makes us stronger!"

"I've been fighting just as long as you two! I helped Ben back then too!"

"Really? Because that's not how _I _remember it. Money printing factory? Needing Ben to save you and Grandpa?" that came out snarkier than Kevin wanted it to and he was worried for a moment Gwen was going to cry the way she looked down at her black shoes. Her tights were ripped at the knee.

"I didn't know about my powers then," she said softly, "If I could've helped more, I would've," she looked up at Kevin and went back to her flippant voice, "You know, if you care about me that much you should just admit it."

"Damn it, Gwen, just stop!" Kevin snapped, falling to the floor beside her, "Be serious please!"

"I'm always serious! You're the one who needs to mature!" Gwen lost her concentration for a moment and the rice pack fell off. Kevin quickly picked it up and gently pressed it to Gwen's side. She subtly leaned towards him in comfort.

"I'm sorry," Kevin murmured, "I just… I worry about you, you know?" he stayed focused on the bag of rice.

"I know."

The door opened quietly, "Okay, guys," Ben whispered as he snuck in, "I got a Coke for you, Kevin and- Gwen! Are you alright?" Ben dropped to his knees near Gwen, "Oh, man! That looks bad! Well, what I can see of it, that is."

"It's fine, Ben."

"Oh, okay," Ben leaned against the wall and reached over Gwen to hand Kevin a drink, "Anyway, I got a Coke for you, Kevin and here's a Wheatgrass and Blueberry smoothie for you, Gwen. I got it enhanced with ginseng and stuff." Gwen took the smoothie from Ben and he began slurping at his own.

Kevin stared at Ben. Why wasn't he more concerned? Why did he not care? Couldn't Ben see that Gwen was severely hurt? That she needed to rest and be coddled and served hot tea or whatever else girls need when they're sick or hurt?

He couldn't- and _wouldn't_ take this sitting down. Kevin stood up and walked out of the garage before proceeding to kick any stones, dirt, junk happened to be in his way.

"Kevin," he refused to turn around and look at her, "Kevin, what's the real problem?"

"Nothing," he glared at his shoes.

She put her hand on his shoulder, "Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad!"

Gwen sighed and nudged Kevin just enough for him to turn around. She'd left the peas and rice in the garage but kept her shirt unbuttoned. Kevin stared at the hole in Gwen's tights.

"We fight aliens. Obviously we're going to get hurt sometimes."

"It was what you said. You didn't want me to help."

At first Gwen didn't know what he was talking about, "I was talking to Ben too."

"I'm not Ben," Kevin looked up, "Look, you're the only person I got to take care of, okay? I've been taking care of just me for so long and then you came along and you're so small-" he stopped, "Did you have a hamster as a kid or something?"

"I had a rabbit."

"Right. I never had that. You're the first thing I have to take care of," he reached up, his hand shaking just the littlest bit, and barely fingered Gwen's now slightly ratty hair. Just as suddenly, his hand dropped, "Not that I'm saying you're a pet or anything."

Gwen giggled, "I know. But so you should understand why I need to take care of Tiny then- she's my hamster."

"Really big hamster."

Gwen put her hand on Kevin's chest, "Come on. When shouldn't leave Ben alone with Tiny just in case she wakes up. We already know he's really bad with kids."

"You, on the other hand…" Kevin trailed off as they walked back towards the garage. Before he could stop himself, he pictured Gwen holding a (human) baby girl with red hair in her arms. He felt his heart clench.

Gwen Tennyson was Kevin Levin's first real experience with girls. But God, he hoped she wouldn't be the last.

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AN: Yay! New episodes! This is the first "Ben 10" fic I've ever written. It always bugs me that no matter how much damage the characters seem to suffer they never actually suffer so that's sort of what inspired this. But yeah, wrote this is an hour or so. Please R&R! I'd really appreciate it!


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